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Johan Santana congratulates Mets pitching staff for combined no-hitter

By Seth Carlson

July 20, 2012; New York, NY, USA; New York Mets pitcher Johan Santana (57) throws a pitch during the second inning of a game against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
July 20, 2012; New York, NY, USA; New York Mets pitcher Johan Santana (57) throws a pitch during the second inning of a game against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports /
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From one New York Mets no-hitter to another. Johan Santana congratulated the Mets for their combined no-no on Friday night.

It took five pitchers to complete the Mets’ second-ever no-hitter on Friday night at Citi Field against the Philadelphia Phillies, but it only took one to capture the franchise’s first-ever no-hitter game.

Nearly 10 years ago to date, former Mets ace Johan Santana threw a no-no in the same building, on the same mound, against a team that also wears red and gray on the road in the St. Louis Cardinals. That’s what made last night’s effort so poetic.

Santana took to Twitter after the game to congratulate the Mets pitchers who were involved in making this particular contest one to remember.

Johan Santana congratulated the Mets on Twitter for their second-ever no-hitter

A fitting tribute from one no-hitter to another.

Five brilliant innings from Tylor Megill, 1.1 from Drew Smith, 0.2 from Joely Rodriguez, an inning from Seth Lugo and closer Edwin Diaz slamming the door in the ninth inning mowed Phillies hitters down all evening, although the latter did draw six walks in the game. Still, a no-hitter is… a no-hitter. It speaks for itself, even if it was combined.

The Mets have individual no-hitter talent on their roster, between a healthy Jacob deGrom, Max Scherzer, Carlos Carrasco and Chris Bassitt, but it’s the unsung heroes like Tylor Megill who have stepped in and performed admirably in the presence of injuries, that really highlights how special this accomplishment was.

And yet for all the fanfare of the no-hitter, detractors still claim Beltran’s double was fair off Santana in that game and combined no-no’s “don’t count” because apparently ‘no-hit’ doesn’t mean ‘no-hit’ if multiple pitchers combine.

Some things never change in 10 years, from the first no-hitter to the second no-hitter. In any event, it was truly special to witness history made on the Citi Field mound nearly a decade apart.

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But Johan Santana will always have the distinction of being the first in Mets history to toss a no-no.

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